U.S. patent number 5,272,285 [Application Number 07/932,803] was granted by the patent office on 1993-12-21 for sound attenuating machinery cover.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Scott Mfg., Inc.. Invention is credited to T. Scott Miller.
United States Patent |
5,272,285 |
Miller |
December 21, 1993 |
Sound attenuating machinery cover
Abstract
A slip over, sound muffling cover for a machine such as a
compressor is disclosed which includes an outer layer of relatively
rigid, bendable, resilient material capable of being distorted and
returned to its desired shape, and an inner layer of flexible,
sound absorbent material. The outer layer includes a cap having a
broad surface and a pair of open sided trays attached on
corresponding ends thereof to the broad surface so that, under
normal circumstances, the open sides of the trays face one another.
Each of the trays contains a pair of elongated flanges on opposite
side edges thereof, pairs of such flanges which oppose one another
on the same side of the trays are closable against one another to
enclose a machine in the sound absorbent material. The trays may be
semi-cylindrically shaped wherein when closed against one another,
they form a cylindrically shaped enclosure about a similarly shaped
compressor with the cap closing one end of the enclosure over the
top of the machine, and with the lower end of the enclosure being
open. Preferably, the outer layer is constructed of molded, closed
cell polyethelene and the inner layer is constructed of spun
fiberglass and/or plastic foam.
Inventors: |
Miller; T. Scott (Henderson,
KY) |
Assignee: |
Scott Mfg., Inc. (Henderson,
KY)
|
Family
ID: |
25462960 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/932,803 |
Filed: |
August 20, 1992 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
181/202 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B
39/0033 (20130101); G10K 11/16 (20130101); H02K
5/24 (20130101); F01C 21/10 (20130101); F04C
29/063 (20130101); F04C 29/066 (20130101); F04C
2270/13 (20130101); F04C 2270/12 (20130101); F04C
23/008 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F04B
39/00 (20060101); G10K 11/16 (20060101); G10K
11/00 (20060101); H02K 5/24 (20060101); H02K
005/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;181/200,201,202,203,204,205,208,229,230,403 ;417/312,313,572
;62/296 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gellner; Michael L.
Assistant Examiner: Dang; Khanh
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Miller, Jr.; Maurice L.
Claims
I claim:
1. A sound attenuating cover for a machine such as a compressor,
said cover comprising
an outer layer of relatively rigid, bendable, resilient material
including
a cap having a relatively broad surface adapted to fit over an
upper surface of a machine,
a pair of open sided trays attached on corresponding ends thereof
to said broad surface such that the open sides of said trays
normally oppose one another,
a pair of elongated, outwardly projecting flanges attached along
opposite side edges of each of said trays, pairs of said flanges
which are located on corresponding sides of said trays being
closable against one another to form an enclosure about said
machine, said enclosure being bounded by said trays, being closed
on one end by said cap and being open on the other end,
an inner layer of flexible, sound absorbent material attached to
said outer layer and covering the interior surfaces of said
enclosure, and
means for securing opposing ones of said flanges together for
maintaining said enclosure closed about said machine.
2. The cover of claim 1 wherein said trays are semi-cylindrically
shaped, said flanges projecting radially outward from said trays,
said enclosure being generally cylindrical in shape.
3. The cover of claim 1 wherein said cap is rounded.
4. The cover of claim 1 wherein said cap is essentially circular in
shape.
5. The cover of claim 1 wherein said trays are resiliently tiltable
away from one another such that they can be aligned end to end,
said cap being resiliently bendable across a mid-portion thereof
transverse to such end to end alignment of said trays, whereby a
plurality of said covers can be stacked one upon another in close
conforming relationship for convenient shipping and storage.
6. The cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer comprises
non-woven material.
7. The cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer comprises a
molded, closed cell material.
8. The cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer comprises a
plastic.
9. The cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer comprises a molded
closed cell foam.
10. The cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer comprises a
molded closed cell polyethelene.
11. The cover of claim 1 wherein said inner layer comprises fiber
glass.
12. The cover of claim 1 wherein said inner layer comprises a
plastic foam.
13. The cover of claim 12 wherein said foam comprises
polyurethane.
14. The cover of claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises a
pressure sensitive adhesive applied to at least one of each of said
opposing pairs of said flanges.
15. The cover of claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises
means for releasbly securing opposing ones of said flanges
together.
16. The cover of claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises hook
and loop pile materials respectively attached to opposing ones of
said flanges.
17. The cover of claim 1 wherein said opposing ones of said flanges
are joined along opposite sides of said cap.
18. The cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer defines at least
one aperture therethrough through which external access to said
machine can be had.
19. The cover of claim 1 wherein at least one of said trays defines
a hollow outwardly projecting surface portion which communicates
with the interior of said enclosure for confining a conforming
outwardly projecting surface portion of said machine therein when
opposing ones of said flanges are closed to enclose said machine
between said trays.
20. The cover of claim 1 wherein said cap and trays and said
flanges and trays are integrally attached.
21. The cover of claim 1 wherein said inner layer is adhesively
attached to said outer layer.
22. A sound attenuating cover for a machine such as a compressor,
said cover comprising
an outer layer of relatively rigid, bendable, resilient, non-woven
material including
a cap having a broad surface,
a pair of semi-cylindrically shaped flaps attached on corresponding
rounded ends thereof to said surface, and
a pair of elongated, radially projecting flanges attached to
opposite side edges of each of said flaps, pairs of said flanges
located on the same sides of said flaps being closable against one
another to form a hollow cylindrically shaped body bounded by said
flaps around a machine whose sound is to be muffled, said body
being closed on one end by said cap and being open on the other
end,
an inner layer of flexible, sound absorbent material attached to
and covering said broad surface and the concave surfaces of said
flaps, and
means for securing opposing ones of said flanges together to
maintain a machine securely encased in said sound absorbent
material within said body, said flaps being tiltable outwardly from
one another to facilitate placement of said cover over said
machine.
23. A sound attenuating cover for a machine such as a compressor,
said cover comprising
an outer layer of relatively rigid, bendable, resilient material
including
a disc shaped cap adapted to fit over an upper surface of a
machine,
a pair of semi-cylindrically shaped trays, each of said trays
having a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface,
semi-cylindrically shaped upper and lower ends, and axially
extending opposite sides, corresponding ends of said trays being
attached to and along peripheral edge portions of said cap such
that said trays, when in their operative positions, extend at right
angles from said cap and such that the concave interior surfaces of
said trays oppose one another, and
a pair of elongated, radially outwardly projecting flanges attached
to and along the opposite sides of each of said trays, pairs of
said flanges which are located opposite one another when said trays
are in their operative positions being closable against one another
to form a generally cylindrically shaped enclosure around and over
said machine, which enclosure is bounded by said pair of trays and
said cap,
an inner layer of flexible, sound absorbent material attached to
said outer layer and covering the interior surfaces of said
enclosure, and
means for securing opposing pairs of said flanges together for
maintaining said enclosure closed around and over said machine.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Broadly speaking, this invention relates to covers for use on
various types of machines, such as compressors, in order to dampen
and reduce noise emitted by such machines. More specifically, the
invention relates to relatively rigid laminated covers tailored to
the approximate shape of the machine to be covered, which can
readily be slipped over the machine and thereafter closed to encase
the machine in a sound absorbent material.
It has been found that prolonged exposure to noise generated by
various types of machines, such as compressors, can have harmful
effects upon the persons so exposed. For this reason, various types
of covers and housings have been developed in the prior art to be
applied about such machines to reduce the noise generated
thereby.
See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,897 issued to E. O. Hillbush,
Jr. on Jul. 29, 1975 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,949,975 issued to W. A.
Plummer on Aug. 23, 1960, both of which patents disclose highly
flexible, laminate, blanket-like covers adapted for wrapping about
the body of a pneumatic tool such as a jack hammer or air drill.
The cover of Hillbush, Jr. includes an inner layer of porus or open
cell polyurethane sponge, a middle layer of lead, tin, bismuth,
zinc, copper, or aluminum sheet which is annealed sufficiently so
that it can be shaped around a pneumatic tool body and so that it
will not mechanically resonate at the vibratory frequency of the
tool. The subject cover also includes an outer layer of cloth, such
as neoprene coated with nylon, or other elastomeric material such
as rubber, butyl or acrylonitrile, which can withstand the type of
shock and distortion to be encountered when applied to such
tools.
The cover of Plummer includes an inner jacket of flexible material
having a main body layer of sound absorbing material such as
comminuted wood fibers overlayed with a layer of reinforcing
fibrous material such as spun fiberglass. The two layers of wood
fibers and fiberglass are held between inner and outer fabric cover
sheets.
The covers of both of these patents are relatively complex laminate
structures and are not sufficiently rigid to retain a given shape
separate and apart from the tool body about which they are to be
wrapped. Also, the wrapping of such a highly flexible sound
absorbent cover about machinery is cumbersome. By contrast, it
would be desirable to have a cover which is sufficiently rigid to
retain a desired form, yet still be flexible and resilient enough
to be bent both for slipping over the top of a machine, for ease of
installation and removal, and for laying open for stacking and
nesting any number of such covers successively, one within another,
for saving space in the shipping and storage of quantities
thereof.
By means of my invention, these and other shortcomings of prior art
muffler covers are substantially overcome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of my invention to provide a sound attenuating
cover for a machine such as a compressor.
It is another object of my invention to provide such a cover which
can be adapted to encase a machine therein in close fitting and
conforming relationship and which can be laid open such that any
number of such cover can be stacked and nested one within another
for convenience in shipping and storing quantities thereof.
It is another object of my invention to provide a sound muffling
cover for a machine which is easily applied to such machine and
which is weather resistant.
Briefly, in accordance with the invention I provide a sound
attenuating cover for a machine such as a compressor. To this end,
I provide an outer layer of relatively rigid, bendable, resilient
material. The outer layer includes a cap having a relatively broad
surface adapted to fit over an upper surface of a machine. A pair
of open sided trays are attached on corresponding ends thereof to
the broad surface of the cap such that the open sides of the trays
normally oppose one another. A pair of elongated, outwardly
projecting flanges are attached along opposite side edges of each
of the trays. Pairs of the flanges which are located on
corresponding sides of the trays are closable against one another
to form an enclosure about the machine. The enclosure is bound by
the trays and is closed on one end by the cap and open on the other
end. An inner layer of flexible, sound absorbent material is
attached to the outer layer and covers the interior surfaces of the
enclosure. Means is provided for securing opposing ones of the
flanges together for maintaining the enclosure closed about the
machine.
These and other objects, features and advantages of my invention
will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following
detailed description and attached drawings upon which, by way of
example, only a preferred embodiment of my invention is
illustrated
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a sound attenuating cover for a
machine such as a compressor, thus illustrating a preferred
embodiment of my invention.
FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of the cover of FIG. 1 with a
portion torn away to show the nature of the cover and a compressor
encased therein.
FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the cover of FIGS. 1-2 laid open to
show the interior thereof.
FIG. 4 shows a side elevation view of the cover of FIGS. 1-3, the
cover being laid open the same as in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the cover of FIGS. 1-4 as the
same is being applied about a compressor.
FIG. 6 shows a fragmented perspective view of a portion of a sound
attenuating cover, similar to the cover of FIGS. 1-5, except that
it employs hook and loop pile materials as means for releasably
securing portions of the cover together to securely enclose a
machine.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawing figures there is shown, in a preferred
embodiment of my invention, a sound attenuating cover, generally
designated 10, for covering a machine such as a compressor 12. The
cover 10 is constructed of an outer layer 14 of relatively rigid,
bendable, resilient material and an inner layer 16 of flexible,
sound absorbent material. The outer layer 14 includes an upper
surface portion or cap 18 having a relatively broad circularly
shaped surface 19, as compared to the thickness of the layer 14,
which cap 18 is sized and shaped to fit over an upper surface or
dome 13 of the compressor 12. The layer 14 also includes a pair of
open sided, semi-cylindrically shaped flaps or trays 20 and 21
which are attached on corresponding rounded ends thereof to and
around the broad surface 19. The trays 20 and 21 thus depend from
what will be considered an underside surface 19 of the cap 18 so as
to normally extend approximately perpendicularly downward therefrom
such that the open sides of the trays 20 and 21 normally face or
oppose one another. Two pairs of elongated, radially outwardly
projecting flanges 22a, b and 23a, b are attached to and along the
entire lengths of opposite side edges of the trays 20 and 21,
respectively. Normally, the pairs of the flanges 22a, 23a and 22b,
23b which are located on the same sides of each of the trays 20 and
21 oppose one another such that, when the cover 10 is initially
placed over the compressor 12 as in FIG. 5, opposing ones of the
flanges can be manually closed flush against one another along the
sides of the trays 20 and 21 to thus enclose the compressor 12 as
shown in FIGS. 1-2. The cover 10 thus forms a generally
cylindrically shaped enclosure about the compressor 12 which is
bounded by the trays 20 and 21. The cylindrically shaped enclosure
is closed on its upper end, as viewed, by the cap 18 and is open on
its lower end, through which a base 24 of the compressor 12
projects for attachment to its supporting surface 25.
The inner layer 16 is attached to and completely covers the
underside surface 19 of the cap 18 and the interior concave
surfaces of the trays 20 and 21 such that essentially all exposed
surfaces of the compressor 12 can be encased therein when the cover
10 is applied thereover and opposing ones of the flanges 22 are
closed flush against one another. The layer 16 is preferably
constructed of fiberglass or other flexible and suitably sound
absorbent material and is attached to the interior surfaces of the
outer layer 14 as by means of glue, pressure sensitive adhesive or
the like. In the alternative, the inner layer 16 can be constructed
of a conventional molded plastic foam material such as, for
example, polyurethane.
The cover 10 also includes means for securing opposing pairs of the
flanges 22a, 23a and 22b, 23b tightly together after the cover 10
has been loosely fitted over the compressor 12 so as to secure the
cover 10 in a closed condition about the compressor 12. One such
means includes a suitable pressure sensitive adhesive applied to
and along at least one of each opposable pair of flanges 22 and 23.
Such adhesive should preferably be covered by removable protective
strips 26 such as, for example, a polyethelene or paper release
liner, to prevent accidental contact between the adhesive on one of
the opposing surfaces of the flanges with its opposing flange
before the cover 10 is placed over the compressor 12 and/or before
it is properly positioned thereon. Once the cover 10 is properly
positioned on the compressor 12, the paper strips 26 can be removed
and opposing pairs of the flanges 22a, b and 23a, b can be secured
by using a thumb and forefinger to squeeze them together in
successive actions while moving a hand along their entire
lengths.
One difficulty encountered using pressure sensitive adhesive is
that the cover 10 must be torn and otherwise damaged or destroyed
in order to remove it from its secured condition on the compressor
12 as, for example, when maintenance, repair or replacement of the
compressor 12 is required. To avoid this problem another suitable
means for securing opposing pairs of the flanges 22a, b and 23a, b
together is hook and loop pile material 27 such as that sold under
the VELCRO trademark, as shown in FIG. 6. In this example, hook
pile is suitably attached to one of the opposing pairs of the
flanges 22a or 23a and loop pile is likewise attached to the other
opposing flange. The same is true of the opposing flanges 22b and
23b on the opposite side of the trays 20 and 21. Such means will
allow opposing pairs of the flanges 22a, b and 23a, b to be
removably secured so that the cover 10 can be installed, removed
without damage, and reused as desired. Of course, other suitable
and well known means for removably securing opposing pairs of the
flanges 22a, b and 23a, b together such as, for example, snaps or
other suitable mechanical fasteners can also be used without
departing from the scope of my invention.
Referring now specifically to FIGS. 3-4, the cover 10 is shown in a
completely open condition wherein the trays 20 and 21 are aligned
end to end with the cap 18 being bent back upon itself along a
transversely extending fold line 28. This open formation permits
any number of such covers 10 of the same size and shape to be
stacked and nested one within another for convenience in shipping
and storing quantities thereof.
I recommend that the material from which the outer layer 14 is
constructed be non-woven such as molded, closed cell plastic. A
molded, closed cell, cross linked foam such as polyethelene or the
like is preferred because it is a sufficiently rigid, yet bendable
and resilient enough for the disclosed purpose. It is also very
light in weight and water repellent. Where such foam materials are
employed, the cap 18, trays 20 and 21 and flanges 22a, b and 23a, b
can be molded into a single unitary structure, wherein those
components are integrally attached to one another.
Notice that opposing ones of the flanges 22a, 23a and 22b, 23b can
be molded or otherwise formed to provide for access openings 30
between opposing pairs when closed to allow inlet and/or outlet
lines 32 to or from the compressor 12 to pass through. Similarly
other apertures such as at 34 can be provided through a base
portion of one or both of the trays 20 and 21, to permit passage of
a compressor line 35 therethrough as needed. Also a hollow
rectangular projection such as at 36 can be formed in one or both
of the trays 20 and 21 as needed to house and conform to a junction
box or other structural part which projects from the side of the
compressor 12. It will be appreciated that, in the present example,
opposing ones of the flanges 22a 23a and 22b, 23b are joined
together adjacent the cap 18 as at 38 (FIG. 3). Thus, in the
present example, opposing pairs of the flanges 22a, 23a and 22b,
23b which are located on the same side of the cover 10 form one
continuous, elongated strip running essentially the length of the
cover 10 when the trays 20 and 21 are laid open as shown in FIGS.
3-4. Accordingly when these opposing pairs of the flanges are
joined, the strip is bent double along a bend 38, adjacent the cap
18. It is not essential that opposing ones of the flanges be joined
together adjacent the cap 18 and such opposing flanges could be
entirely separate distinct components prior to joinder thereof.
Although the present invention has been described with respect to
specific details of certain preferred embodiments thereof, it is
not intended that such details limit the scope of the following
claims other than as expressly set forth therein.
* * * * *